End Of Life

Rev. Dr. Ann Boyd, a Bio Ethics professor at Hood College and an Episcopal Priest, will chair a panel of experts in the field of health care for end-of-life situations today, beginning at noon at Saint John's Episcopal Church, 101 S. Prospect St. in Hagerstown. A brown-bag lunch discussion will include the options and dilemmas of end-of-life situations. All are welcome. Joining Boyd will be Dr. Robert Kaufmann of Internal Medicine Associates, Frederick, Md., and a physician for Citizens Nursing Home; Doug Brown, EMT; and Andrea Yochem, director of Pediatric Nursing at Prince William Hospital in Virginia.

When dealing with a terminal illness or end-of-life issues, it often is difficult to feel hopeful. Although hope doesn't necessarily correlate to a miracle or a cure, individuals nearing the end of life can remain hopeful for other important things. Particularly when facing death, people can remain hopeful for reconciliation with family members or the opportunity to say or hear "I love you" just one more time. Examples of hopefulness could include hoping that a grandson will have a great soccer match, that a granddaughter will stop by for a visit, or to live to see family gathered for Thanksgiving.

End-of-life discussion FREDERICK, Md. - A representative from Compassion and Choices will speak at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, at C. Burr Artz Public Library, 110 E. Patrick St. The organization provides end-of-life counseling and support for dying patients and their loved ones. The event is free and open to the public.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The Vicki V. Douglas Award has been established at the West Virginia University School of Medicine for the graduating medical student each year who has most demonstrated exemplary compassion for dying patients and outstanding knowledge and skills in palliative care, according to a news release. Douglas, D-Berkeley, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates since 1990, was honored by the West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care at a statewide meeting Sept.

Hospice of Washington County recently established a partnership with a hospice in Kenya through the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa's Partnership Initiative. The local hospice has adopted Coast Hospice of Mombasa, Kenya, as its sister hospice, said Susan Taylor, executive director of Hospice of Washington County. The partnership was approved by the FHSSA about Feb. 1, she said. Coast Hospice serves Kenya's approximately 300-mile Indian Ocean coastal region from Somalia south to Tanzania.

When it became a matter of life or death, Alan Clifton wanted to be prepared. He had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and the 60-year-old man immediately began to think about his final wishes. No feeding tube. No life support. No nursing home. He wanted peace of mind, his spouse of 35 years said. He wanted to die with dignity and he wanted to lessen the strain on his family. That's why he wrote it all down in a living will. It's been four years since her husband's death at 62, said Annetta Clifton, 64, of Hagerstown.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. -- U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller said educating people about options for end-of-life care is a key to reducing Medicare care costs during a roundtable discussion Friday with Hospice of the Panhandle staff and families helped by the organization. Rockefeller's visit, which included a meeting with Shepherd University students in Shepherdstown, comes amid a series of interviews he has given to journalists about his opposition to the health care bill pending in the Senate Finance Committee.

Hospice of Washington County recently established a partnership with a hospice in Kenya through the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa's Partnership Initiative. The local hospice has adopted Coast Hospice of Mombasa, Kenya, as its sister hospice, said Susan Taylor, executive director of Hospice of Washington County. The partnership was approved by the FHSSA about Feb. 1, she said. Coast Hospice serves Kenya's approximately 300-mile Indian Ocean coastal region from Somalia south to Tanzania.

A Lifesaver S.A.L.T. Council and Triad of Washington County will sponsor a free seminar for seniors, "Lifesaver and More," from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, at AMVETS Post 10, 770 Frederick St., Hagerstown. Use the side entrance. The facilitator will be Dan Watson. There will be refreshments and prizes. Infusion therapy seminar Hagerstown Community College Center for Continuing Education will offer a seminar for health professionals titled "Nursing Management and Complication Assessment Related to Infusion Therapy," on Friday, March 30, from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Kepler Theater.

Rev. Dr. Ann Boyd, a Bio Ethics professor at Hood College and an Episcopal Priest, will chair a panel of experts in the field of health care for end-of-life situations today, beginning at noon at Saint John's Episcopal Church, 101 S. Prospect St. in Hagerstown. A brown-bag lunch discussion will include the options and dilemmas of end-of-life situations. All are welcome. Joining Boyd will be Dr. Robert Kaufmann of Internal Medicine Associates, Frederick, Md., and a physician for Citizens Nursing Home; Doug Brown, EMT; and Andrea Yochem, director of Pediatric Nursing at Prince William Hospital in Virginia.

There has been much discussion raised by the Terri Schiavo situation in Florida. I, unfortunately, have had a recent experience that may be viewed as having some similarities. Daddy had been failing intellectually and physically for five to seven years. When his eyes became so bad that he could no longer read, he started listening to books on tapes. Eventually he got to the point where he would listen to two or three chapters, fall asleep, and, when he woke up, be unable to remember anything about what he had just listened to. Therefore, he would play the same two or three chapters again and again.

karenh@herald-mail.com HAGERSTOWN - The national exposure of the Terri Schiavo case has resonated with people locally, prompting some to seek information about end-of-life directives, a spokesman for Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran said last week. "There's absolutely no question that it's skyrocketed requests for these advance directives," spokesman Kevin Enright said as the Florida woman's case commanded the nation's attention. Schiavo entered her ninth day without food or water Sunday.